评论
打印
Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything.
保险公司一般说来愿意承保一切东西
Insuring public or private property
承办公共财产或私人财产保险
is a standard practice in most countries in the world.
是世界上大部分国家的正常业务
If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete
如果你要举办一次露天游园会或盛宴
it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather.
为避免碰上不好的天气而遭受损失也同样可以保险
Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes,
不用说 保险公司承担风险越大
the higher the premium you will have to pay.
你付的保险费也就越高
It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company
航运公司为打捞沉船而提出索赔
has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship.
这是常有的事
But the claim made by a local authority
但某地当局
to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.
为打捞一只焙制馅饼的盘子提出索赔 倒是件新鲜的事儿
Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish,
这个馅饼盘子确实少见
for it was 18 feet long and six feet wide.
有18英尺长 6英尺宽
It had been purchased by a local authority
某地方当局买下它
so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair.
用来焙制一个巨大的馅饼为一年一度交易会助兴
The pie committee decided that
馅饼委员会确认
the best way to transport the dish would be by canal,
运输这只盘子的最佳方案是通过运河水运
so they insured it for the trip.
于是 他们对这只盘子的运输安全投了保
Shortly after it was launched,
盘子下水后不久
the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate.
馅饼委员会成员们来到当地一家小酒店庆贺
At the same time,
就在这个时候
a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish
许多十几岁的孩子爬盘子
and held a little party of their own.
举行他们自己的集会
Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear,
他们跳起了舞 盘子难以承受
for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.
舞会进行过程中 盘子倾覆 沉入了7英尺深的水中
The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner
馅饼委员会给当地汽车修理库老板打电话
who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish.
他闻讯后开着一辆急修车前来打捞盘子
Shivering in their wet clothes,
那些孩子们穿着湿衣服哆嗦
the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water
看着3个工人轮潜入水中
to locate the dish.
以确定盘子的位置
They had little difficulty in finding it,
他们没费多大事儿就找到了盘子
but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem.
可是把盘子捞出却是一个很大的难题
The sides of the dish were so smooth
盘子四边十分光滑
that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim
要在盘边拴上绳索或链条
without damaging it.
而同时又不损坏它是很难办到的
Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish
不过 他们终于将链条固定在盘子的一端
and a powerful winch was put into operation.
一台大功率的绞车开动起来
The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank.
盘子慢慢浮出水面 被轻轻地拽向运河岸边
For one agonizing moment,
在令人忐忑不安的瞬间
the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal,
盘子晃晃悠悠地上了岸
but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water.
但它突然失去了平衡 又跌回水中
The men were now obliged to try once more.
工人们只得再来一次
This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish
这次 他们用沉重的金属夹子把盘子夹住
so that they could fasten the chains.
以便往盘子上安装铁链
The dish now had to be lifted vertically
这次 盘子必须垂直吊出水面
because one edge was resting against the side of the canal.
因为盘子的一边紧靠着运河河岸
The winch was again put into operation
绞盘机再次启动
and one of the men started up the truck.
一位工人发动了急修车的引擎
Several minutes later,
几分钟后
the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water.
盘子被成功地拽出了水面
Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force
波浪从盘子两侧急涌而出
that it set up a huge wave in the canal.
在运河里掀起一股大浪
There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank
但是当波浪从河对岸折回来时
and send the dish plunging into the water again.
就有再次把盘子拖进水里的危险
By working at tremendous speed,
工人们动作迅速
the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.
终于赶在那股大浪返回之前把盘子拽到了岸上
